You have your yugake (弽, the deerskin shooting glove, also called kake). Now you have to put it on, and the first few times it never feels quite right: the thumb never seems to sit in properly, the strap works loose halfway through practice, or you wind it so tight that your fingers tingle.
Putting the glove on is a short routine. What makes the difference is two checks — one before you wind the strap, one after — and knowing how tight the strap should actually be. This page sets out the routine using the published guidance of the All Nippon Kyudo Federation and a Japanese kyudo equipment shop.
The short version
- Shitagake first. The Federation says the cotton under-glove must always be worn under the yugake.
- Put the glove on kneeling. The Federation describes putting on the yugake in kiza or seiza as the rule.
- Before you wind the strap, check the fit: the base of the thumb sits flat, the index and middle finger leather is not baggy, and the thumb reaches the end of the thumb cap.
- Do not wind the strap tight. Only as tight as still lets your wrist move. Finish winding on the inside of the hand.
- Never fasten the end with a tie pin or metal clip. It could fly backwards at the release.
- Then check again in the drawing position: the tip of the thumb should sit very slightly off the end of the cap and be able to move a little.
Step 1: Shitagake on first
The shitagake (下がけ) is a thin cotton under-glove worn between your hand and the yugake. The Federation’s beginner guide is direct about it:
使用する時は汗から守るために「したがけ」（木綿製）を必ず付けます。 (“When using it, always wear a shitagake (made of cotton) to protect it from sweat.”) — All Nippon Kyudo Federation, “道具について” (About equipment), checked 26 October 2026
The yugake is deerskin, and the same page notes that it is weak against moisture. The shitagake is what stands between your sweat and the leather. Pull it on so it sits smoothly down to the base of the fingers, without folds that will end up inside the glove. If you do not have one yet, see Shitagake: The Cotton Under-Glove.
Step 2: Kneel, and slide your hand in
The Federation also states a point of etiquette that surprises many people who learn outside Japan:
弽を付ける時は必ず跪座か正座をして行うのが決まりです。 (“When putting on the yugake, it is the rule always to do so in kiza or seiza.”) — All Nippon Kyudo Federation, “道具について”, checked 26 October 2026
Seiza (正座) is the formal kneeling position, sitting back on your heels. Kiza (跪座) is kneeling with the toes tucked under. Your dojo will have its own way of doing this — where you sit, which way you face — so follow your instructor on the details.
Slide your hand into the glove and push the thumb right into the thumb cap (bōshi, 帽子), the stiff covered tip of the thumb.
Step 3: Check the fit before you wind the strap
This is the step people skip, and it is the one that matters. Suizan (翠山弓具店), a kyudo equipment shop in Japan, lists four things to confirm before the strap goes on:
- The fork of the thumb (where the thumb meets the hand) is not lifting away from the leather.
- The leather of the index finger is not baggy.
- The leather of the middle finger is not baggy.
- The thumb reaches all the way to the back of the thumb cap.
The shop says these are the precondition for everything that follows (Suizan, “弓かけの選び方と使い方” (Choosing and using a yugake), checked 26 October 2026).
If you cannot get these four right however you adjust the glove, the problem is probably not your technique. Winding the strap harder will not fix it. Look at How to Choose a Yugake and, if you are ordering from abroad, Yugake Sizing from Abroad, and show the glove on your hand to your instructor or a kyudo equipment shop (kyuguten, 弓具店).
Step 4: Wind the strap — and not too tight
The long strap that ties the glove to your wrist is the kake-himo (かけ紐). The single most useful sentence on the Suizan page is this one:
紐を巻く際にきつく締めてはいけません。 (“When winding the strap, you must not tighten it hard.”)
The shop’s reason: wound tight, the glove stops you from forming a correct torikake (取り懸け, the way the gloved hand takes hold of the string). Its instruction is to tighten the strap only enough that your wrist keeps its range of movement (Suizan, checked 26 October 2026).
Beginners often do the opposite: the glove feels loose, so they wind harder. If the fit checks in Step 3 are right, a moderate wind is enough.
Two more points from the same page:
- Finish winding on the inside of the hand (手の内側).
- Do not fasten the end with a tie pin, a metal clip or anything similar. The shop’s reason is safety: if it came off at the release (hanare) and flew backwards, it could be dangerous.
How to tuck or tie off the end varies between dojo and between glove makers. Ask your instructor to show you once, and copy that.
Step 5: Check again in the drawing position
Now form your hand into the torikake shape, as if you were taking the string, and check three things. Suizan marks the first as the most important:
- The tip of the thumb sits very slightly away from the very end of the cap — not jammed against it.
- In that position, the thumb can move a little inside the cap.
- The leather of the index and middle fingers is not excessively baggy. The shop adds that a little slack is fine.
(Suizan, checked 26 October 2026.)
Notice how the two checks fit together. With the hand open (Step 3), the thumb should reach the back of the cap. With the hand in the drawing shape (Step 5), it should come very slightly off the end and have a little room. If the thumb is pressed hard into the end while you are in torikake, or cannot move at all, tell your instructor.
Giriko: a little, on the middle finger
Giriko (ギリ粉) is the grip powder used with the glove. Sambu Kyugu (山武弓具店) describes its use like this: put a suitable amount on the middle finger and rub it against the thumb (Sambu Kyugu, ギリ粉 J-052, checked 26 October 2026). On a four-finger glove (yotsugake), it is the ring finger that does this job. It is not applied to the string.
On quantity, Suizan’s guidance is specific: with a new glove you use it often, but about one ear-pick scoop is enough for two uses, and as the glove breaks in you should bring it down to about once a day. Too much turns the leather black and makes the glove slippery, which affects your shooting; in summer, it can turn sticky (Suizan, checked 26 October 2026). More on this in Giriko: The Kyudo Grip Powder.
Taking it off and putting it away
How you put the glove away decides how it feels the next time you put it on. Suizan’s advice:
- Leather absorbs sweat, especially from early summer to early autumn. Putting it away damp invites deterioration and mould, so always dry it in the shade.
- After summer practice, drying it with a hair dryer may also be needed.
- If you store it with silica gel, make sure the leather is dry first.
- Wrapping it in a tenugui (cotton hand towel) is recommended, because the cloth breathes and suits the glove’s size.
(Suizan, checked 26 October 2026.) Take the shitagake off and dry it separately. The full routine is in Yugake Care and Storage.
If something hurts
A strap wound too tight can make your fingers tingle or change colour. Loosen it straight away and re-check the fit from Step 3.
If pain in the thumb, fingers or wrist continues, stop practising for the day and tell your instructor or the people you are practising with. If the pain is severe, the area swells, or numbness persists, see a doctor, and in an emergency get medical help immediately.
FAQ
The strap keeps working loose during practice. Should I wind it tighter? First re-check Steps 3 and 5. If the fit is right, a moderate wind should hold. A strap that has stretched or frayed will not hold a knot well, and the strap is a part that can be replaced on its own; ask the shop that made your glove or a kyudo equipment shop.
My new glove feels stiff and the thumb will not go all the way in. Do not force it. Show it on your hand to your instructor or the shop. If it is a sizing issue, see Yugake Sizing from Abroad.
Is there one correct way to tie off the strap? Practice differs between dojo and schools. Follow your instructor. The two points from the shop above — finish on the inside of the hand, and no metal pins or clips — are worth keeping whatever style you are taught.
When should I think about repair or replacement? If the fit checks fail even after adjustment, or the glove has changed with long use, see Yugake Lifespan and Repair.
Summary
- Shitagake first, always (All Nippon Kyudo Federation).
- Kneel — kiza or seiza — to put the glove on (Federation).
- Before winding: thumb fork not lifting, index and middle finger leather not baggy, thumb reaching the back of the cap.
- Wind the strap only as tight as your wrist still moves, finish on the inside of the hand, no metal pins or clips.
- In the drawing shape: thumb tip very slightly off the end and able to move a little.
- Dry it in the shade after practice; a little giriko, on the middle finger against the thumb.
For a complete first kit, see The Equipment You Need to Start Kyudo.
This page sets out general guidance on putting on a kyudo glove (sources checked 26 October 2026). How the glove is put on and how the strap is finished differ between schools and dojo; follow your instructor. For fitting, adjustment and repair, a kyudo equipment shop is the best place to ask.